You would have referred to her as your Aunt Valerie. Out of all the things I thought I would hear today, learning that Valerie was related to me was something out of left field. I almost couldn't believe it. Bringing up an image of Valerie in my mind, I wondered how she and Mom were related. They didn't look anything alike.

Seeing my overall confused and astonished expression, Mom pointed out an old framed photograph that hung on the wall. It was a photo from my parents' wedding day.

The photo featured a group of eight people consisting of my parents standing front and center, my grandparents on Mom's side standing on her left, my grandfather and great-grandfather on Dad's side on his right, Dad's best man who I heard used to be a close family friend, and who I assumed was Mom's maid of honor. This supposed "maid of honor" was in reality, of course, Valerie.

Though the faded quality of the photo made it hard to pick out too many distinguishing details about her, I could see a few. She was considerably younger-looking with medium length hair that matched Mom's exactly in color and style. While not resembling Mom's, the shape of her face was similar to my grandmother's. And Mom did say she looked more like my grandfather. Whether I wanted to believe it or not, the young woman in the photo was indeed Valerie, and it made me sick to know that. I wasn't shocked that she was my aunt. No, I was horrified.

"For the first year and a half everything was normal. Valerie wanted to work for Devon and your great-grandfather happily gave her a job," Dad said as I stared at the photo in stunned horror. "Little did we know that everything would go so wrong. She showed no hatred or smarm towards anyone, so we all thought she was fine with her position. But then her group attacked out of nowhere that day and then... Well, you know the rest.

"After the attack we immediately cut any remaining ties with her and effectively exiled her from the family. Months passed with no sign of Valerie or any of her comrades, and everything appeared to going back to normal. Slowly and painfully, yes, but repairing themselves nonetheless. I however always thought that she was lingering, somehow watching us, waiting for a new reason to attack again to present itself. Then something happened the next year that brought back my fear full-force."

My heart sank deep into my chest. "Me," I said faintly, turning to him. "I happened. If Valerie found out another Stone existed, she would have tried to finish the job." A melancholic nod from Dad confirmed my response.

"I was cautious but optimistic. Nothing happened, and I let my hopes get up. Then three months after you turned seven, several suspicious people were spotted in Mossdeep near the previous Devon building.

"I admittedly jumped to the worst conclusion and thought it was Valerie or someone from her group. It had been over seven years, but I didn't want to risk anything. That was why the corporation relocated and we moved alongside it, so I could conceal you completely from both the public eye and from Valerie's eye. Why I didn't want you to do anything but stay at home and study was my poor attempt to hide your existence for as long as I could. I'm sorry, son. I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did, but I want you to know the truth about our family."

It was as I thought. Dad had shut me in to protect me. And now I had ruined it by leaving. "Thank you for telling me, Dad. But... there's something I have to tell you and Mom." I looked to both my parents and heaved a deep sigh. I wasn't going to lie to them about something this dire. Not telling them would serve to put their lives in danger. "Valerie isn't gone."

Complete silence.

"I've seen her. I've had encounters with her. And... she knows who I am," I said quietly, feeling like I was going to be sick with each word I spoke. Not because of what this meant to me personally, but how it would affect my parents' views now.

"You've seen her, and she knows who you are?" Dad cried. It took a moment for him to understand what I said, in the meantime Mom was on the verge of breaking down.

"Joseph... this... this can't be—!" She practically fell into Dad's arms, almost in tears. Dad tried to comfort her, still dumbstruck at what I revealed. He was holding up better than her, if barely. I felt myself shrink back from them involuntarily. It was genuinely frightening to see my parents in these states. Looking at them like this, I knew what would be coming next. The look Dad was giving me already told me what he was going to say.

"You can forget about continuing your journey. You're staying here," he said, breaking my heart into pieces.

"Dad, please don't..." I tried to say.

"No excuses. It's for your own safety."

"But the Champions are strong Trainers! If I can become Hoenn's Champion, I could stand a chance against Valerie!" It made no sense to stop my progress here. I had to convince him to see my point.

"No. Excuses," Dad repeated more sternly than before.

Steven, is he going to take us? Meteor questioned frantically. My Pokémon began to talk amongst themselves and turned their concerned looks to me. I stared back at them helplessly. Whatever else I could say would and had been easily countered by Dad, so I went to my last resort and turned to Mom.

"Don't look at me like that, sweetie. Because... I agree with your father."

In that moment, I swore my heart stopped. Her words were like a Sucker Punch that left me winded beyond comprehension. I shook my head numbly, refusing to believe what she said. How could she do this? She had always been the one to support me, and now she was turning on me? "Hypocrite..." I muttered. "You're a hypocrite!" I repeated, louder. "You've always told me 'Just do what makes you happy,' and you're agreeing with him?"

"Steven Devon Stone, that is no way to speak to your mother!" Dad stated angrily. He had come out of his shock into anger. "You're staying home and that is the end of it!"

Normally when Dad became angry, I would break down in fear and do anything so he would stop. That wouldn't happen this time. I wasn't going to give up and let him take total control again. "No Dad, it's not over. All I came here to do was to let you and Mom know that I was okay, not be dragged into some sixteen year-old ancestral fiasco," I countered.

"Then it looks like your plans have changed!" he stated plainly.

"How do you not see my point? You may not think this, but I am sick and tired of being afraid all of the time. And while you may be content to hide and wait for disaster to find us again, I'd rather be prepared for it," I said icily. "I want to change, you don't. That is what truly separates us!"

"Stop arguing with me! What happened to the sense of respect I so painstakingly taught you?" Dad accused, scowling at me.

"I don't know Dad, perhaps I feel it's rendered moot in this context," I deadpanned with a forced shrug. No matter what I had to stay calm. If I were to lose my temper, it would only result in bringing worse consequences upon myself and my team.

"That's enough!" Dad yelled. "Once this is all sorted out, you can bet everything that you'll be punished!"

"That is fine by me," I retorted. Mockery danced lightly on the tip of my tongue, and I savored every bit of it. If I couldn't express my anger outright, I would do it another way. "Go ahead and punish me, because I won't be here to take it! I said I was leaving, and that plan isn't changing anytime soon," I finished, fixing him with a frigid glare that could make hell freeze over. Yell again, I dare you, my expression said. This look of indignation did its job and Dad was about to retaliate when Mom interrupted.

"Stop it, the both of you!" she interjected sternly, shooting us a glare that rivaled my own in intensity. "Arguing won't help anything, so stop this pointless bickering and we can solve this problem rationally."

"What is there to 'solve,' Carol? Our son is staying home until Valerie is caught, plain and simple!" Dad said.

"Yes, so I can be tracked here and killed easier. That makes perfect sense!" I hissed through clenched teeth. Talking about the fact that my life was literally on the line here made me sick to my core, but it was reality.

Can I say something here? Meteor asked. I had been so caught up in the heat of the argument that I nearly forgot he was there. No one objected and he turned his gaze to my parents. Keep in mind that I can, and have read your thoughts in these past few minutes. I know my Trainer means the world to you and that your lives are worth nothing compared to his, Meteor said. So answer me this... Even if Valerie doesn't attack again right now, what'll happen when you both eventually die? he asked bluntly.

No response.

That's right. You haven't considered it. The fact is when you die, your son will be alone. He'll be alone and unable to protect himself from Valerie. I'm sure the police do their jobs well, but from how the first attack went down, their forces are nothing compared to Valerie's.

   I'd lay my life down for Steven any day of the week and I know Silvette, Orbit, and Maverick would do the same.

As if in agreement my teammates let out a chorus of cries.

You get it? Meteor continued. Pokémon are meant to guard their Trainers with their entire being. Even if that weren't the case, I made a promise to myself that I'd protect my Trainer no matter what, and I don't break my promises unlike some humans I know. He aimed a glare at Dad. On top of that, he has friends that he's been traveling with so he's never truly alone. Stopping it all here, making him give up, will guarantee that he'll be alone again. He'll have to fight Valerie alone, and I know for a fact that he'll die alone!

More silence. And then one person broke it. Mom sighed, smiling grimly. "He's right..." she said, wiping away her tears. "Arceus, what was I thinking?"

Dad was incredulous at Mom's sudden turn. "Wh-what nonsense is this? Letting Steven go would be a death sentence!"

"Yes, but like he and Meteor said, it's better than waiting in fear for something to happen!"

"This is insane! How are you being swayed by a Pokémon of all things?"

This was going nowhere. At this rate Valerie would get here and my warning would have gone to waste. If a Pokémon couldn't convince him, then a person would have to instead. "What happened to what you said to me before Valerie was brought up, Dad?" I asked. "You said you have faith in me. Can't you think I can become strong enough to defend myself, or at the very least know I have the confidence to think I can?"

The room went silent. All eyes turned to Dad who was staring intently at me, his jaw clenched. It all came down to his decision, and he knew it. Second after tense second passed as we waited for him to answer. Then after what felt like a year, he closed his eyes and sighed (in resignation?). For a second I thought I saw him give an almost imperceptible nod, though I wasn't sure if I was imagining it.

Dad then grabbed my hand, reaching into his jacket pocket at the same time. Too quickly for me to see, he shoved three small objects into my hand and closed it tightly around them. After doing this he turned to Meteor. "You had better keep your promise and protect my son with your life. If not, I'll make you regret ever being hatched," he stated threateningly.

Wouldn't dream of it, Joseph, Meteor replied curtly, crossing his arms and giving him a look that was a carbon copy of mine from earlier. I said I didn't break promises. Dad nodded, breaking his stare-down with my partner.

"Dad, I—" I started.

"Go. Just go. Go before I change my mind, and prove my doubts wrong," he interrupted, his voice cracking slightly. He then lightly pushed me away, not in a way as to hurt me but as an incentive to obey him. With a touch of shame he looked at me, and I was shocked to see tears welling in his eyes. "I love you, Steven. Remember that," he said.

I couldn't remember the last time he told me that.

"I... love you, too," I echoed genuinely in almost a whisper.

Things seemed to happen in a flurry of sound and color after that. Parting words were brief, goodbyes were bittersweet, and surprisingly, not a single tear was shed. Before I knew it, I found myself outside. I hastily made my way back down the walkway with my hand still clenched around the mystery items Dad had given me and the last of my goodbyes trailing off my lips.

The moment I stepped off the property, the truth of the situation crashed down on me. I had managed to get Dad to understand my thoughts. I could still continue my journey, and I didn't have to run again to achieve that goal. Feelings of intense joy and sadness flooded over me in a crushing wave. I wanted to cry at the circumstance this was taking place in, but at the same time I wanted to laugh at the fact that I had actually pulled it off. I figured there was no point in hiding my emotions any longer, so that was what I did.

I cried out my remaining tears right there on the open sidewalk, nearly choking on a stifling mixture of sobs and laughs and silently thanking Arceus that there wasn't anyone around to see it. As expected, Meteor asked what the hell was wrong with me and let himself out of his Poké Ball to see for himself. He watched me in complete disbelief, not saying a word, no doubt wondering if I was better off in a looney bin.

"I'm an utter emotional train wreck, aren't I?" I snickered, wiping my eyes on my sleeve.

Will you kill me if I say yes? he asked cautiously.

"Not at all."

Then, yeah, you are. He paused and looked back the way we came. This is really happening, huh? he said in a surprisingly solemn tone.

"I told you everything would work out," I said quietly, following his gaze. Silence reigned for a minute before I said, "Meteor, thank you for sticking up for me. And not just you, everyone else as well. Could you remind me to tell them that the next time you're all out?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. Course I will. But why are you thanking me? We got into this mess together and we're gonna stay together until the end! He shot me a quick glare. And don't say a thing about you dragging me into this. I could've left ages ago, you know that!

I held up my hands in mock defense. "Okay! I wasn't going to say anything in the first place!" I laughed. I was positive he would be smirking if he could. He looked at me for a moment longer before pointing to what I was holding.

What'd your father give you anyways?

I unclenched my fist around the objects and saw that I was holding a folded piece of paper wrapped around something flat and rectangular with the other two being minimized Poké Balls, something I never would have expected Dad to give me.

I then removed the letter and was surprised to see that the item was a hard plastic card. My full name was printed on it along with my home town name, a series of seemingly random numbers, and a small picture of me. Above all of this were the words Trainer ID in bold gray font. It had completely slipped my mind that I was supposed to have a Trainer ID. People could own Pokémon, sure, but an ID was needed in order to go on a journey. I was technically an illegal Trainer, until now. There was no doubt that Dad had this made for me.

The second and third items, the Poké Balls, attracted my attention more. The capsules themselves were imprinted with the Devon Corporation logo and had serial numbers stamped onto their center buttons, making it clear that these Poké Balls were used for testing or something similar. There was no use in wondering what Pokémon were in them. I enlarged the metal spheres and let out whatever they housed.

What first greeted me was a bipedal creature that was shy a few inches of my height. It was covered in blue armored plates minus its long neck which had red and white feather-like protrusions, and it had a set of wicked-looking claws in place of arms. I was more than a little startled to see this Pokémon. In a way it reminded me of the monster from my nightmares, except that this one was decidedly more aquatic in terms of color.

The second Pokémon was more plant-like, being light green in color and having a compact body with four stubby legs. Its circular head sat atop a long, thin neck that had pink "petals" growing off of it. The yellow swirls on its head made me think those were its eyes, but what appeared to be its mouth was really a gap that let its glowing golden eyes stare out at me.

Both Pokémon were like nothing like I'd ever seen, and they positively radiated a foreign air. I read the paper that had been enclosing my Trainer ID, hoping that it would give some insight to whatever these Pokémon were. The paper was a neat, typed list containing the basic information about them.

Species: Armaldo. Classification: Plate Pokémon. Type: Rock-Bug. Ability: Battle Armor. Gender: Male. Level: 40. Moveset: Crush Claw, Water Gun, Ancient Power, Fury Cutter, the first description read.

Species: Cradily. Classification: Barnacle Pokémon. Type: Rock-Grass. Ability: Suction Cups. Gender: Female. Level: 40. Moveset: Acid, Confuse Ray, Amnesia, Ancient Power, the second continued.

And at the very bottom of the paper, seemingly scribbled down last minute—Given Names: River, Vinya. Now I somewhat wished I had lied about Valerie so I could have learned where in the world Devon had gotten its hands on Pokémon like these. Wherever they were originally from, it definitely wasn't Hoenn.

"You're... called River and Vinya?" I asked who I guessed was my newest teammates. They nodded simultaneously and I wasn't exactly sure where to go from there. "Um, welcome to the team, I guess?"

"Lily!" Vinya bubbled, tilting her head.

"Arma!" River growled in a cheerful tone, giving me a salute of all things.

'Glad you can have me, Mr. Stone!' Meteor translated. They both said that same phrase... at the same time, he clarified.

"You don't have to call me that," I said, wondering how they knew my last name. "I prefer Steven over my surname."

I talked with River and Vinya a little more with Meteor's help and found out that they had been artificially resurrected from two different types of fossils known as Claw and Root Fossils along with several of their pre-evolutions called Anorith and Lileep. I remembered back a while ago that Dad had mentioned that the company was engineering a machine that was capable of reviving fossil Pokémon.

Being Devon's president, Dad obviously managed to pull a couple of strings with Professor Birch and was able to keep River and Vinya. But why would he give me not one Pokémon, but two? "Did my Dad—I mean, the elder Mr. Stone, tell either of you why you're traveling with me?" I asked them.

"Craylil-la la!" Vinya hummed.

'We're here to watch out for you and make sure you're not harmed,' Meteor told me. I'm a tad insulted if you ask me...

Are you kidding me? They're bodyguards? I thought before giving in to acceptance. What did I really expect from Dad? If he couldn't personally keep an eye on me, then he'd have two prehistoric Rock-types do it for him. Fine, we can make this work. "As long as you don't plan on interfering with ninety-nine percent of the things I try to do, we'll get along swimmingly," I said.

"Mal!"

"Cray!"

'It's a deal!' ... They both said the same thing again, Meteor muttered.

I sighed and smiled, shaking my head. This was going to be interesting. With River and Vinya I had a full team of six. Now whether I wanted to or not, I was aiming for Hoenn's Champion title. I glanced over my shoulder to get one last look at my home. Thank you Dad. I won't let you down, I promise.